#althaea lore

[ask-althaearoserun]

6 8

What is your Tav’s favourite childhood memory?

Her favorite childhood memory was probably making flower crowns with Maria in a little clearing near her village. Her village was in a heavily forested place where not much sunlight got in between the trees, so there were only a few spots that got enough light to grow flowers. Maria would wear a cloak with a hood to keep the sun off of her while she made Althaea flower crowns and showed her how to do it.

Did your Tav have any romantic and/or sexual relationships prior to their illithid adventure? If yes, who was it with and what was it like? If no, how did they feel about being single?

She sort of had a romantic relationship when she was in her village with a boy named Estel. There was no proper courting and it was mostly just mutual pining with some affectionate actions here and there, like two elementary school kids “dating”. It was a nice experience, but now it’s mostly a blur to Althaea. That’s the only romantic relationship she’s had, and doesn’t mind it. She’s never had a sexual relationship.

[abimee]

i she/he/they-d hythlo originally back when shadowbringers was endgame because i never saw any dialogue in-game use pronouns for them and i think emet only ever said her name so i genuinely didnt know what gender hythlodaeus was. and it was really funny seeing how they popped out of the oven in edw since i was drawing him looking like this

[thevirginwitch]

Current Reads + Book Reviews

To stay more up-to-date with what I'm reading, and to see my book notes, be sure to check out my Patreon!

last updated October 25, 2024

Current Reads

Weather Magic: Witchery, Science, Lore by Debra L. Burris

Inside the Mirror Box: Spells and Theory for All Practitioners by Ray Baker

Queer Chaos Magick & LGBT Witchcraft Covens by Justin H. Guess

Queering Your Craft: Witchcraft from the Margins by Cassandra Snow

Queer Magic: Power Beyond Boundaries edited by Lee Harrington and Tai Fenix Kulystin

Psychic Witch: A Metaphysical Guide to Meditation, Magick and Manifestation by Mat Auryn

The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft by Ronald Hutton

A History of Witchcraft: Sorcerers, Heretics, and Pagans by Jeffrey Burton Russell

Elemental Witchcraft: A Guide to Living a Magickal Life Through the Elements by Michelle Heron

The Black Arts: A Concise History of Witchcraft, Demonology, Astrology, Alchemy, and Other Mystical Practices Throughout the Ages by Richard Cavendish

Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America by Margot Adler

New World Witchery: A Trove of North American Folk Magic by Cory Thomas Hutcheson

Weather or Not: Two Books About the Magic of Timing & the Timing of Magic by Katrina Rasbold

Coven Craft: Witchcraft for Three or More by Amber K

Read Recently + Reviews

The Everyday Witch's Coven: Rituals and Magic for Two or More by Deborah Blake

Traditional Witchcraft for Urban Living by Melusine Draco

Urban Magick: A Guide for the City Witch by Diana Rajchel

Postmodern Magic: The Art of Magic in the Information Age by Patrick Dunn

The Crooked Path: An Introduction to Traditional Witchcraft by Keldon

Condensed Chaos: An Introduction to Chaos Magic by Phil Hine

By Rust of Nail & Prick of Thorn: The Theory & Practice of Effective Home Warding by Althaea Sebastianti

[ivyprism]

Masterlist 24

Suggestive? Kind of? *

Character and AU Information:

Skelesona Siblings: Revamp (Info Dump)

Artificially Cursed: Sona (Info Dump)

Goddess of Resistance and Goddess of Forgiveness (Info Dump)

Skelesona Twin Brothers (Info Dump)

Fairy Ivy (Info Dump)

Fun Fact: Tenebrous, Luminus, and Equinox (Info)

Lobelia's Mother: Aine (Info Dump)

Disciples of Time (Info Dump)

The Former Deities of Night and Day and the Fairy of Nightfall (Info Dump)

The Wingless Fairy (Info Dump)

Notable Powers (Info)

The God Killer and the Soul Devourer (Info Dump)

King Papyrus and His Brother (Info Dump)

Fun Fact (Tassy)

My Old AU Rewritten: Horrorfell and Horrorswap Boys (Info Dump)

More Angels Fall Sonas (Info Dump)

Incubus Angel Skeleton Boys (Info Dump)

Some More Gods (Info Dump)

Fallen Angel Papyrus (Info Dump)

Mermaid Skeleton Boys (Info Dump)

Fae Skeleton Boys (Info Dump)

Fell Angels: Skeleton Boys and Sonas (Info Dump)

Angelic Dream Walker Boys (Info Dump)

Angelic Dream Walker Sonas (Info Dump)

Mythical Creature Skeleton Boys (Info Dump)

Stories Written:

See, I'm Smiling (Marguerite Lore)

Rip and Tear (What if Two Humans Fell: Underfell...?)

How to Be a Heartbreaker (More Marguerite and Some Orchid Lore)

Know It's For the Better (All I Wanted Was You)

The Creature in the Woods (Aritificially Cursed Backstory???)

Thunder Bringer (Signe Lyric Thing)

I Didn't Mean To (Marguerite Backstory)

Betrayal (My Old Fell AU: Backstory)

Happy Birthday, Keith! (Don't Imagine)

Happy Birthday, Keith! Again (Don't Imagine)

Heaven Says (Eldritch Ivy: Lyrics)

They Were Just Children (Toxin and Haddon: Thing)

Happy Birthday, Sam! (Don't imagine)

Happy Birthday, Tumble! (Don't Imagine)

Merry Gyftmas, Kioko! (Short)

Merry Gyftmas, Ranch! (Short)

Asks:

Seeing His Face (The Masked Shadow)

Shapeshift? (Mermaid!Sona)

Dancing? (Nightmare Sanses)

Visiting the Fae Realm (Lobelia)

A prank too far (Lobelia)

Human and Fae Morality (Lobelia)

Who she gets close to (Lobelia)

Human vs Fae Sides (Lobelia)

Which Court (Lobelia)

Fae Realm vs Human Realm (Lobelia)

Discreet about abilities (Lobelia)

Spells and Magic (Lobelia)

Misconception about Fae (Lobelia)

Childhood (Lobelia)

Dragging Humans to the Fae Realm (Lobelia)

Flying (Lobelia)

Reclaim Life (Althaea)

Misunderstood Mermaids (Althaea and Hibiscus)

Captivity and Creatures (Althaea)

Speak Freely (Althaea)

Expressing Self without Singing (Althaea)

Unexpected Kindness (Fae Sonas)

Keeping it Together (Althaea)

Scars and Care (Althaea and Hibiscus)

Fae Deal (Althaea)

Being Small? (Lobelia)

Dragon named Neige? (Lutea)

Lobelia's Mother (Info)

Who Lobelia Takes After (Info)

Weaving (Aine)

Favorite Memory of Lobelia (Aine)

Stars (Aine)

Relationship with Fae (Aine)

Protect and Care (Aine)

Important Lessons (Aine)

Humans (Aine)

Weaver Difficulties (Aine)

Ideal Day (Aine)

Conflicts and Disagreements (Aine)

Lobelia's Future (Aine)

Protecting Lobelia (Aine)

Value? (Aine)

Honesty (Aine)

Holidays (Aine)

Favorite Project (Aine)

Fae vs Human (Aine)

Nicknames (Aine)

Small Info (Grimoire)

Cuddlers (Grimoire and Canasta)

Canasta HC (Mafiatale Gaster)

Masc Partner with Dysphoria (Mafiatale Gaster)

Canasta HC (Mafiatale Gaster)

Dipped and Kisses (Mafiatale Gaster)

King Facts (Underfell Silver Papyrus)

Tassy Thoughts (Timekeeper Shapeshifter OCs)

Favorite Food? (My Sona)

Abilities (My Sona)

Alluretale Premise (Alluretale)

Baker Remembers Their Order (Mafia Boys)

[dhampiravidi]

D&D Muse/OC List

for the convenience of those who wanted to see my D&D muses...

Naela Wolfblood: Half-Elf Paladin searching for romance and adventure. Optimistic, honest, philosophical, restless (NG).

Skathi Turin - Giant-Kin Ranger who mostly stays in the northern regions. Blunt, resourceful, distrusting, compassionate (NG).

Oraia - Quasi-Deity/Titan* Sorcerer who lost some of her power to a vengeful god. Flirtatious, easygoing, sociable, impulsive (CG).

Lady "Jes"/"Yaz" Veldrin - Human Noble who became a Rogue after her parents were killed. Practical, disciplined, perfectionist, grudging (CN).

Raen Li Darkhelm Freevale - Fey'ri Sorcerer/Rogue raised by a trio within a guild. Charming, confident, defensive, clever (CN).

Rose Pashar-Covenwood - Tiefling Sorcerer using her space-time magic to follow in her dad's footsteps as a PI. Hardworking, protective, manipulative, intuitive (NG).

Sabriel "Rela" Farstrider - Aasimar Fighter who grew up with a guild that some recognize as a cult. Modest, curious, indecisive, responsible (LG).

Zehara Himura Downridge - Tritonite Monk who uses her wits and power over the element of water as weapons while traveling. Persuasive, compulsive, patronizing, adaptable (NG).

Arannis/Althaea Durothil - The child of a high fey and a deity who is destined to die as one of the best Fighter/Barbarians known to Toril. Confident, quick-tempered, protective, moody (NG).

*teeny bit Homebrewed since the lore regarding Quasi-Deities is weird. Because there isn't much about them, but there's conflicting material about them in various editions of D&D books, I had to ultimately pick my own canon. The Forgotten Realms wiki was ridiculously helpful!

[karolinarodrigueswrites]

Thinking of Althaea and Max with Althaea as a vampire (more popular media like rather than my vampire lore) and Max as a vampire hunter (in the spirit of his witch hunter canon)

Can't say more because night meds are kicking in and it's hard to type but it's something

[lunarsprincess]

The girl watches him eat with unfiltered fascination, studying the muscles of his tongue and the ebbing of his throat. A deformed face, instinctively terrifying to her primitive mind, but still human enough to maintain its base functions. Or so she hoped.

To her disappointment, he displayed none of the pleasure or excitement she might have in his place... Was it disgusting? Or was he above such things? Her shoulders deflate. Fine... Fine. She would offer him lore, instead, and see how that took.

❝ ... In ancient Terra, they called these marshmallows. Originally, they came from the Althaea officinalis plant, and was useful in treating ulcers and mucosa irritation... There exist some on this planet. ❞

Luna turns, returning her attention to the etched inscription. Leaving her back to one so tainted by Chaos made all the sense in her body scream —— but what choice had been left to her? A body too weak to do half of what a woman should, her weaponry broken by the massacre of the cultists; feigned ignorance and fluttering eyelashes would be her shield now.

❝ We have shared bread. That puts you under my protection while you stand beneath my ro... Ah. There is no roof. Uhm... Well! Just pretend we're in a proper house. Or... Do you live in ships? A ship, then.

This poetry implies there is some kind of city beneath here. But the word for city and labratory are the same in Voynichese... Do you want to come with me, lord angel? ❞

However the Astarte expected this woman to respond, this clearly wasn't a reaction he had anticipated. She could have threatened him or launched into a rehearsed speech about "treason" and "heresy", but chose to chide him about manners? She stood close enough that she could stab or shoot a gap in his armor with relative ease, but instead offered him a small piece of food?

Looking down at the small woman posturing in front of him, the Astarte couldn't help but tilt his head like a curious dog. Either she was buying time for reinforcements in the strangest way possible or she was living evidence of the Changer's incomprehensible schemes---as well as his sense of humor, potentially. Whatever the case, playing along was the better option.

"...Thank you," he muttered, taking the candy from her palm as gently as a thickly-armored forefinger and thumb could.

Holding the piece up to his eye, he examined it for a moment. Food and dining culture wasn't something taught to his legion or encouraged by his patron. The woman would have similar results giving a tech-priest a potted flower and expecting them to sniff it on instinct.

The Astarte couldn't confirm anything meaningful with his tactical display or internal sensors---mostly because they weren't made to analyze foodstuffs. If he wanted to understand candy, he needed to accept the risk and actually taste it.

Reaching under his chin, the Astarte unlocked an airtight seal with a hiss and removed his helmet. His skin was pallid and the whites of his eyes were black, though these could be "cosmetic" gene-flaws rather than evidence of substantial mutation. But when he held the candy to his mouth and licked it, his tongue was revealed to be forked.

Again, his head tilted in quiet contemplation. He couldn't quite place the taste, having very few experiences to recall. Whether this candy was only mildly sweet or some rich delicacy, he didn't know.

With a gentle flick, the piece flew into his mouth for further examination. The woman could see him working on it, though it would be quickly dissolved by acidic saliva. Whatever poison may have been inside was either destroyed or completely ineffective---if there was any to begin with.

[samwisethewitch]

Sam's Masterlist of Beginner Resources

These are some of my favorite books, podcasts, and blogs that can help you develop your spiritual practice even if you have zero previous knowledge. All of these resources are approachable enough for total beginners, but I also recommend them for more advanced practitioners who want to brush up on the basics. Some books are listed in multiple categories because they cover multiple topics.

This list will be updated continuously as I find new resources that I want to recommend.

Secular Witchcraft (witchcraft that is not part of an established religious or spiritual tradition)

Witchcraft for Everyone by Sam Wise

A Witch's Guide to Spellcraft by Althaea Sebastiani

"Witchcraft for Skeptics | Science and Theory Behind Magick" by Jessi Huntenburg on YouTube

A Green Witch’s Cupboard by Deborah J. Martin

By Rust of Nail & Prick of Thorn by Althaea Sebastiani (this book is about protection magic specifically)

Witchcraft Traditions (witchcraft that is part of an established religion or spiritual path)

Wicca For Beginners by Thea Sabin

Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner by Scott Cunningham

Reclaiming Witchcraft by Irisanya Moon

The Spiral Dance by Starhawk (written by a founder of Reclaiming, but also contains elements of Wicca and Feri)

Betwixt & Between by Storm Faerywolf (about the Feri tradition)

Witchcraft in History and Culture

Waking the Witch by Pam Grossman

Witches, Sluts, Feminists by Kristen J. Sollee

Witches, Midwives, and Nurses by Barbara Ehrenreich and Deidre English

Paganism

Wicca For Beginners by Thea Sabin

Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner by Scott Cunningham

The Spiral Dance by Starhawk (written by a founder of Reclaiming, but also contains elements of Wicca and Feri)

Irish Paganism: Reconstructing Irish Polytheism by Morgan Daimler

Morgan Daimler's YouTube channel (Irish paganism and Fairy lore)

Lora O'Brien's YouTube channel (Irish paganism)

The Irish Pagan School

Temple of the Cosmos by Jeremy Naydler, Ph.D. (Kemetic paganism)

The Way of Fire and Ice by Ryan Smith (Norse Heathenry)

On Black Wings: A Site for Fire & Ice Heathen spirituality and practice: https://www.onblackwings.com/

Skald's Keep: https://skaldskeep.com/ (Norse Heathenry) (on tumblr as @skaldish)

North of Annwyn: https://northofannwn.wixsite.com/home (author is Heathen but posts about magic and paganism more generally; author is currently on hiatus) (on tumblr as @north-of-annwn)

American Folk Magic

New World Witchery podcast

Southern Cunning by Aaron Oberon (Southern folkloric witchcraft)

Mountain Magic by Rebecca Beyer (Appalachian folk magic)

Backwoods Witchcraft by Jake Richards (Appalachian folk magic)

Sticks, Stones, Roots, and Bones by Stephanie Rose Bird (Hoodoo, African-American magic)

Divination

Kitchen Table Tarot by Melissa Cynova

Astrology for Real Life by Theresa Reed

Fifty-four Devils: The Art & Folklore of Fortune-telling with Playing Cards by Cory Thomas Hutcheson

Religion, Spirituality, and Politics

"Rethinking How Paganism Engages Culture" by Sam Wise (blog post: https://www.samwisethewitch.com/post/rethinking-how-paganism-engages-culture)

Bringing Race to the Table edited by Crystal Blanton, Taylor Ellwood, and Brandy Williams

"Witchcraft PSA: The Chakras & Cultural Appropriation" by Anthony the Witch on Tumblr (https://anthonythewitch.tumblr.com/post/187293358858/witchcraft-psa-the-chakras-cultural)

Bright-sided by Barbara Ehrenreich (deals with toxic positivity)

McMindfulness by Ronald Purser (this one is a little bit dense but has a very important message about how American mindfulness culture misappropriates Buddhist practices)

UPDATE 10/11/2024: Removed H. Byron Ballard's book due to transphobic posts on the author's social media. (See here for proof, but huge trigger warning for transphobia, biological essentialism, and pseudoscientific talking points.) I've replaced Ballard's book on the list with two other beginner books on Appalachian folk magic from authors who, as far as I know, are not transphobes.

UPDATE 1/20/2025: Removed Jambalaya by Luisah Teish due to someone pointing out that Teish has spoken at anti-transgender events hosted by the TERF org Women's Declaration International. I hate not being able to recommend Teish's work anymore, but as she's actively using her platform to spread hate, I just can't promote her books in good faith.

[liliumaa]

Some new pathfinder characters for a new campaign! My PC Kasreth (left) and NPC Princess Althaea “Marsh” Mallow (right), very much inspired by Watership Down. More about them below keep reading :)

Backstory:

Kasreth (whose name translates to “Trickery” in Lapine), was part of a lakeside warren called Ilsurian (a real town in pathfinder lore, but it’s been replaced by a Rabbitfolk warren in this campaign’s lore). The warren is simple, a farming community next to a lake. It is open to trading but Rabbitfolk typically just stay in their warren outside of that. It has a royal family, and Kasreth’s family are the guards who protect them. Kasreth was off the hook from this job most of the time, and took to be a story and fortune teller more.

Recently, Cheliax and other countries are expanding into the nearby areas, including the Ashen Wood next to Ilsurian. Another warren of Rabbitfolk live there in the marshes and the lake, this is where Althaea is from. The aquatic Rabbitfolk are much more secluded and gain their magic from crystals that form in the caves and a strange artifact. They used it’s power to allow them to breathe water and carve out tunnels under the water. But because of the closing in of Cheliax, they have begun to form an alliance with Ilsurian. 

Princess Althaea was supposed to marry Prince Thanléao from Ilsurian. But, Thanléao wasn’t having any more royal life, and ran away with a secret lover to Arcadia. He even stole the artifact the Ashen Wood Warren uses to gain their magic. Kasreth was pressured by her family to “prove herself”, and now has three ancestors haunting her as well. Right before she left on the journey, Althaea wanted to join her to “slap the prince in the face”. But, after a 7-month boat ride across a harsh ocean to Arcadia, she has reconsidered this.

Campaign start, very quick explanation of the first two sessions:

Once at Arcadia in a port town, they met an interesting group of people in a tavern who became their party. After an attack in the tavern, they were offered a job to explore ruins. There everyone found tombs, all with different overpowered items correlating to them (a chef, a warrior, royalty, a jester, etc). 

After retrieving the items and all seemed well, we were ambushed by a group of powerful people. Turns out the man who offered the job stabbed us in the back and was working with them. 

After a fight of running away, the whole party died. Various characters got last actions. Kasreth’s was being aided by the Black Rabbit to save the princess. And the other npcs with the party got away. But now there has been a time skip and we have woken up as undead! So! A lot! happened!

Anyways these two have and are gonna have some wlw angst 

[spiralhouseshop]

All the new stuff in the Portland Button Works catalog!

29 September 2021!

By Rust of Nail & Prick of Thorn: The Theory & Practice of Effective Home Warding by Althaea Sebastiani

Folk Witchcraft: A Guide to Lore, Land, and the Familiar Spirit for the Solitary Practitioner 2nd Edition by Roger J Horne

Grimoire Silvanus Zine Issue 4

Walking the Tides: Seasonal Magical Rhythms and Lore by Nigel G Pearson

Anatomy of a Witch: A Map to the Magical Body by Laura Tempest Zakroff

City Witchery: Accessible Rituals, Practices & Prompts for Conjuring and Creating in a Magical Metropolis by Lisa Marie Basile

Cunning Folk Magazine- The Re-Enchantment Issue

Cunning Folk Magazine- The Water Issue

Quantum Sorcery: The Science of Chaos Magic by Dave Smith

2022 Slingshot Organizer - Large Spiral Bound

2022 Slingshot Organizer - Pocket Size

[the-lightning-mage]

I used this picrew to make my unused DnD characters.

Rowan Tallstag - Half Elf - Life Domain Cleric

Althaea Siannodel -  High Elf - College of Lore Bard

Belladonna/Hope/Kallista - Tiefling - Assassin Rogue

[ask-althaearoserun]

Althaea’s Information

Backstory:

Althaea Roserun is a 253 year old half wood elf, half high elf. Her mother was a wood elf, and father a high elf. She had a rough childhood, to say the least. Her father held the same belief as most high elves, and assumed that any relationship with a wood elf is doomed from the start, but due to his limited options he still married Althaea’s mother. She looked fairly different from her father and he was convinced her mother had cheated on him, so there was a lot of animosity towards her because of it, and as she grew older she started hating everyone around her.

Her father would beat Althaea or even attack her with knifes, so now she has a scar over her lips and one across her cheeks and bridge of her nose. A couple of years before she left, he held her down and clipped her ears so she was less likely to be traced back to him and his family. Her mother would always argue with him about his treatment of Althaea, but she could never truly do anything about it aside from have her dear friend Maria patch up Althaea. Althaea grew to view Maria as a second parent in place of her father.

As a teenager, in elf terms so about 70/80 years old I would say, she wanted to run away, and tried to convince her little brother Daenng to run away with her, but he refused due to the fact their parents were always kind to him. He watched her leave the night she actually got the opportunity when she was about 100. She really just wandered around the country or whatever staying away from other thinking creatures for about a century and a half.

She’s captured by the Mind Flayers, and after the crash she makes her way back into the forest to try and get back to her normal life. After a couple of days she ends up getting a gash on her leg from some old trap in the woods she hadn’t noticed and starts bleeding out very quickly. She accidentally finds her way to the outskirts of the group’s camp and Gale is sent out to investigate it. He sees her and their parasites connect and he takes her back to camp.

Due to being alone for so long she can be a little odd, not understanding social cues and speaking in a rude or inappropriate way or acting off (when Gale finds her she draws a bow on him and demands help, any advances towards her by anybody go over her head at first, and when Gale is patching her up that first night she’s really bitchy towards him).

Once she’s accepted as part of the group she realizes how much she’s missed being in a group of people, and starts worrying what will happen when they get rid of the parasites. She’s scared to be alone, and it often causes nightmares for her, so the group often find her sleeping on or beside others at camp to try and help soothe her anxiety about being alone again. She trusts Gale the most and sticks close beside him during quests and such.

Random bits of information:

Althaea is very awkward about sex. She views it as something very intimate/connects it directly to love, and due to her upbringing and everything before the events of the game, she tends to shy away from love/intimacy unless it is something she can view as strictly platonic. This varies from person to person.

She doesn’t like her neck being touched and it causes her to freeze like if you pick up a kitten by the back of the neck. If she is holding something and you touch (but especially if you GRAB) her neck she will drop it.

Due to the abuse she went through as a child often ending in open wounds, she cannot stand the sight, smell, or taste of her own blood. She will get nauseous if she sees, smells, or tastes it, but is a lot more likely to vomit.

Her system is not used to certain ingredients in healing potions, she will get sick if she uses them. She has to use spells or a herb paste that was actually used in medieval times in order to heal.

She makes flower crowns for herself and others, and prides herself on her wood elf side. She touches grass or tree bark for good luck.

[abimee]

nothing like putting Flow on and giving yourself brain damage

[nightingaletrash]

Althaea is so gorgeous it makes me want to get BG3 just for the character creator

I'm thoroughly enjoying the game, especially now that I've got an oc I'm invested in. Besides the CC, the story itself is really interesting and you have so many choices in how to approach a situation, with some added options depending on your race, class, and background. Throw in the dice rolls for skill checks and you'll never quite know which way a situation is going to go. And you have a bunch of choices for how to approach situations - you can do your best to help people and save the day... or you can go wholesale evil and really lean hard into the bad guy act.

Mind you, the game is still early access and will be for the foreseeable future, so there's bugs aplenty and systems and mechanics can still change, and things will get fixed and added in the months to come.

And just so that you're aware, I am using a few mods for CC. Namely the hairstyle and skin colour (to add the lipstick), but there's a few other things too.

The CC is gorgeous and has the option to let you use all the colours or stick with the lore-friendly stuff, but it's also pretty limited in vanilla. Fingers crossed they add to it in future, but just so you're aware - there are five heads to choose from that you can't alter the features of (nose, mouth, eyes, ears, eyebrows, that sort of thing) basically the stuff you can change is hair, tattoos and makeup, as well as colours. New Character Creation Presets adds some more faces, and The Customizer's Compendium - 5th Edition mod unlocks face options between races as well as some NPC characters, plus hairstyles for all races and horns for Tieflings. Althaea's hairstyle is specifically from Tav's Hair Salon, which gives you a selection of custom hair options. The mod that adds lipstick is Even More CC Colours in Kittentails' Misc Mods.

And because its still early access, there's still classes to be added. Modders have taken the liberty of adding more, like Bard, Monk and Paladin, but in vanilla we've got Fighter, Rogue, Cleric, Ranger, Warlock, Wizard, and Druid. Larian will likely add more in future updates (Druid was added in Patch 3) so you can either mod or just play around with what's currently available.

And, if you're interested, Althaea's armour set is from the SFW Basket Equipment mod which makes a bunch of otherwise unavailable armours and modded outfits available for you right off the bat. They make gameplay a bit easier, with items that add to your armour class and giving you spells and such. Being able to teleport around a battlefield makes things a little more manageable for me ngl. And yes, as the name implies, there is an NSFW version of the mod too.

[totally-not-an-al1en]

My D&D group is growing apart as everyone’s schedule starts conflicting more and more, with the exception of myself, my friend, and the DM. With so few people that still want to goof off with the luck of the dice, my DM went ahead and decided to make a campaign focusing on a magic school for high school to college-level classes called Deepspire Academy. The rules were as follows:

-Starting level 3

-only Wizards, Sorcerers, Warlocks, & Bards allowed, with the exception of magical subclasses like Eldritch Knight

-must have a schedule for our characters put together

-no Unearthed Arcana this time around

Along with that, we have a rule about the instructors: if you want one suggest one, just remember that this is like Xhorhas from Critical Role- lots of monstrous characters, make it weird. That said, I have a list of teachers we have so far:

-Romereus Delmirev, green dragonborn wizard, Abjuration teacher, very proper yet laid back, knows most of his students by name

-Loxodon Lore Mastery teacher (unnamed so far), very calm and never raises voice but believes in learning on the job, is a choice mentor but will put you through the wringer

-Alberich Steelheart, Mountain Dwarf Artificer, engineering & item enchantment teacher, very lively but is a bit of a hardass, the students that pay attention for more than 5 minutes tend to excel, willing to help tutor those that ask

-Althaea Starsoul, High Elf Wizard (enchantment is her specialty), history & theatre teacher, runs the drama club on the side, very passionate about what she does but gives homework at least twice a week, loves to hear gossip around school (if you want the hot tea you go to her cuz she usually knows)

-Kordyn Wrun, Goliath Divination teacher. Generally laid back, but will stop you from doing something as you think about it. Basically constantly sees 6 seconds into the future. Always cathces anything thrown at him.

-Cervanti Laverius, Barn owl Aaracokra (bird person), alchemy teacher, quite eccentric and always half asleep, has a potion for every situation, it’s rumored that he actually does sleep in his office (he does have a cot back there but only occasionally uses it)

If anyone’s got any ideas, dm me and I’ll make an update post telling you guys when we’re done making staff.

Surprise me, folks, I’m ready for it!

[norwes]

Mantel of Flames Theory

   So with everything that is going down in the game so far. I have some theories/ predictions for the campaign and where its going in the future. Two years we’ve been going strong but we all know, soon, with just a few more arcs. 3 in total, from my understanding. Then this epic story comes to an end and the world our characters leave behind will shape the world for our next campaign. 

   So with that in mind, I have a few predictions for upcoming events.

God of being an Asshole

   Tiamat and her dragons are going to be double crossed by Tharizdun and his cult. Tiamat is gonna take the brunt of the forces attacks and dragons will become even rarer as a result. She will be cast back into her prison, one way or another because I don’t believe Tharizdun will honor his word in letting them rule together. Everyone will be double crossed by him. Especially if Church and State fails their mission.

Tiamat’s Angles

   I also have to wonder where the hell are Tiamat’s angles are. Tharizdun’s are the Vassals we’ve encountered but we’ve only seen 3. What happened to the other 3? It’s not that I want to fight even more fallen angles, but I want to. Also, I want to take out the threat wholly and completely. Hunting down each and every last one. Burning books to prevent these sealed gods from ever having a chance to step onto the mortal world. Who knows what the solution is to that question. Is it even possible to kill a god?

   This part isn’t so much a prediction as it is a question. I think I remember Disaster Master saying something about Tiamat’s angles having already disappeared. Which brings up some interesting questions if that’s the case. Like, how did Tharidun’s make it so long and can this type of method be used to bring angles back? Or changing up some of the things?

  Alistair’s Arc

  Alistair is going to lose his kids. Be it one or all, Ali is going to lose them. He's gonna be unable to save his babies from his brothers. I also believe that Alistair can at least talk some reason into Ram. Unlike Lachlan, Ram does have a heart and is a real good guy. I think the kid most at risk is Magnus or Lilith. Magnus because he’s roaming and has encountered Torm followers before. Sure he has a guardian with him but they won’t be able to hold their own against Ram and Lach. Lilith is at risk just because she is so close to Alistair and where their home base is at the moment. But Lilith has more protection going for her. She has her team, school, close contact with the princes and the lead high guard in training. I doubt Mordred would let either Ram or Lach from kidnapping her. The twin boys are also at big risk but Maev and Morgan are watching over them. Alistair is going to have a rough time and at one point will transform. Bros will take it as some sort of sign. Given his transformation is White, Gold and a Pink/Purple creature and Bight Blue eyes. Close to Torm’s colors and a complete opposite to how Alistair normally looks. They will absolutely not see it coming. At least I hope not, cause that would mean they’ve been close and stalking the group for quite some time. That in of itself is a scary thought.

Canary’s Blade Quest

   She won’t kill Ryder but she will end up killing his gang members. Ryder is going to be heavily wounded/ maimed. He will be back and expose where the Shepard Ranch is which will spell disaster for the whole group. Emotionally, it’ll wreck everyone. How I think Ryder will do this, is by bugging on of Church and State with a magical tracker. Or something. Cause, sure, the Keep is relatively guarded, the city has defensives but the ranch home? It’s wide open for an attack, if it’s an onslaught, I don’t think even the angles could defend their babies if they brought down the fucking hammer.

Strong Hold near Blue Harbor

   Just a random thought hit me, we know where the enemy stronghold is- or at least one. It’s where reports of other Forerunners have been created. This is something that is in dire need of investigating and swift handling. Try and weaken the enemies as much as possible for out big show down. But why do I get the sinking feeling we are gonna for sure, have to at least face down Tiamat’s seal breaking. Do to it being the weaker of the two and with her have the ‘stronger’ forces aka the fucking beyond ancient dragons.

   I think this is we’re our first break out move will be and be the place that we’ll get to see if the Black Dragon we helped will join our side or not. I think it’ll have our big confrontation with at least one of the fallen angles. My guess the fallen angels that holds onto Althea’s soul and it’ll be Canary who must take it out. A big reminder is that we only have one shot with the blades. Three angles and three who have earned the right to wield them once in battle. We will be forced to ration out and choose which PC goes against which Fallen Angle.

   After the fight against the Strong Hold, we will then experience a massive counter attack. Which could cost us some of our NPC friends. Toxin and Waren being the most likely to fall during this assault. In my opinion. They will be trying to kill the other Fallen Angle’s proxies as many times as possible to speed things up and restore their power faster. Seeing as we’ve killed one angle. We will also have to be on high alert for assassins and shady traps because they have lots of connections and will be trying to eliminate us.

The End

  Marion and Ceric will have an epilog of marriage and their kiddos/ descendants will be in the next campaign. Given that we win and both make it through the final stretch of Mantle of Flames. (I honestly hope we have a cute little epilogue and that’s one of the scenes, those two are absolutely diabetes. Big fucking wedding of just yes) Even if the world ends, fucking get married in heaven. Doesn’t matter, their cuteness shall be eternal.

  I look forward to seeing what the epilogues hold for us at the end of Mantle of Flames. I’m so excited that this is soon coming to a grand conclusion. When we end this arc (Althaea’s) I cant wait to see what our “Else where” description is. Hinting at troubles ahead. Cause I absolutely love those things.

   Half angles will be protected, at least by Alistair and his cult. Ali really doesn’t want to kill any of the half angles, despite what anyone hast to say. Striving towards erasing the idea they are abominations but a strong symbol between morals and the devine. (At least that’s what Alistair will push) Symbols of unconditional love and a promise that the moral plane is not simply a playground for the gods. Cause all the half angles are just good bois! It’s a worthy cause to get behind- same with ending slavery... that’s something Church and State also have to do.

   I also think there’s going to be some sort of... I’m not quite sure what to call it but, the Church and State crew will have a significant mark on history. I don’t think I’d be like becoming gods ourselves, but perhaps some sort of lore. For fucks sake we’re going to slay angles. Be it for our failure or our victory. I wanna see how we’re going to affect next campaign! (I already have so many ideas for my next character for the next campaign)

Revenge

   The nymphs are totally going to rat and inform the Wardien brothers of Alistair were about and who’s he's been in contact with. IE, Church and State. Canary and Althea is sort of our secret weapon because they weren’t present. Also, Ali is totally going to tell her how and where the Nymphs are... if she's like some help... getting even... after all this. Rats get bats after all. Unfortunate for this group of Numphs to unwittingly step into the wrathful crosshairs.

Welp, that’s what I believe we’ll have to experience in the future. Some of it is vague but as well continue onwards I’ll get more specific and see what predictions are right or not.